If you do any sort of document editing from your phone, there's a good chance you've needed to print something at some point. Or maybe you need a quick copy of an image and don't want to go through all the trouble of transferring it to your computer and then printing. Or maybe there's some other scenario that I can't think of right now when you've needed to print something from mobile. No matter the situation, printing in Android has always been sort of a pain in the ass.

In KitKat, however, Google has added native printing capabilities as part of the package. The printing framework will be able to communicate with local printers over Wi-Fi or with any printer in a Google Cloud Print account, making printing a breeze from basically anywhere. Users will be able to modify most of the basic parameters, including paper size, pages to print, and which printer to send the document, image, or file to.

Printer manufacturers will also be able to use newly introduced APIs to develop their own print services, which will allow for printer-specific options to be to handled directly from Android. Developers will also be able to use new APIs to add printing capabilities to their apps "with minimal code changes."

From the look of it, printing will be accessed via the action bar, but it isn't entirely clear how it will work past that. However, according the Android Developers site, the printed object will first be converted to PDF as that's the primary file format Android will use for the service.

That looks very much like they're using the "Share" button to send it to the printer. Makes sense, that means apps will be able to support it without needing much (any?) updating.

Primalxconvoy

I just use an hp printer with their app and have never looked back.

wlmeng11

So how about ChromeOS...

P1h3r1e3d13

Perfect for printing boarding passes while traveling without a computer!

Random!

Anyone aware how long a printer cartridge can last under intense heat? I have an inverter in my car and am considering to leave a leftover HP WiFi printer on its trunk.

Amit

I have a question, I have file types which are different than an image file or a pdf file. Eg, a doc or ppt file. There are printers which takes the native file and prints. How can I just send the file like a pass through to the printer using KitKat printing service ?

crazyblogwalker

This is one of the great features of the latest Kitkat Android operating system. Quite easy to print web pages, docs etc. right away from the smartphone.